OneStream

As we prepare for London Olympics 2012 there are two official London Olympic apps for your mobile keeping you involved in all of the action.

Official London 2012 ‘Join In’ App

As London and the UK come alive with events, celebrations and activities during the Olympic and Paralympic Games there is the Official London 2012 ‘Join In’ app. Your mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience.  The app is free, and an essential planning tool for everyone, whether you have tickets for a sporting event or not. From the start of the Olympic Torch Relay to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus all the cultural, city and community celebrations happening across the UK, Join In is your essential companion.

Click on your operating system to find out more and download the Official London 2012 ‘Join In’ App:

Available on Android, iOS and BlackBerry operating systems.

And for once the games are in full swing keep up to date with the Official London 2012 ‘Results’ App

The Official London 2012 Results app provides all the latest news, schedules and results, allowing users to keep up-to-date with the latest action live across all Olympic sports and Paralympic sports.

Key features include results, live updates, calendar schedule, details of sports, medal tables and athlete profiles. Tailor your view and follow specific countries, receiving official news and updates.

It’s a great app for all sports fans to share the excitement of London 2012!
Coming soon. This app should have been release in June but keep up-to-date with the official apps at london2012.com/mobileapps

In the news today…mobile phone payment technology goes one step further with the launch of a new app allowing people to take cash from an ATM without using their debit card.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and NatWest have launched a mobile banking app that can allow the user to take money from an ATM by making a request on their mobile phone. The service has been named ‘GetCash’ and is already available to the many customers who already have the banking app on their phone.

Using the app you receive a six digit pin number after making the request, which can be entered at a cash machine for the money to be released. this service is limited to £100 per use and available at RBS and Natwest ATMs.

Click here to read the full article posted on BBC today.

Would you use this service? Have your say by leaving a comment on this new item.

At OneStream we believe the best way to give feedback on handsets is by gathering it from long term users of a device rather than just using it for a few days.  Our next handset review is the BlackBerry 9860.  This handset has been reviewed by one of our own staff….

BlackBerry Torch 9860 – where’s my QWERTY?

Like most BlackBerry owners I love my QWERTY keypad but have been jealous over the last few years of the ever increasing screen sizes and full touch experience of the Iphone and Android handsets.

I find the QWERTY keypads a joy to use on BlackBerrys and the business side of a BlackBerry is second to none. Ok, so RIM’s BlackBerry App World can’t compete  with Apples AppStore or Google’s Play, with companies tending to develop apps for iOS and Android more than BlackBerry and Windows 7 devices.

So when I decided to take the plunge and try the Torch 9860 I was thinking, “hang on I remember the Storm!” Yes, RIM’s ( BlackBerrys Owners) big mistake, the handset that was pushed so much by RIM  and was meant to be the next big thing to take on the iphone. Unfortunately for RIM the Storm made history for being very poor at just about everything it did.

What about the Torch 9860 then?

Well I have been using it now forover a week and I have to say I think it’s an excellent phone. The build quality is excellent with chrome edging and a metal removable back cover. The TFT screen isn’t placed just under the glass like on the new HTC or Nokia Lumia devices but still looks great. With 800 x 600 resolution it’s very clear and makes emails and and images displayed very clean and crisp. The four main buttons at the base of the handset are the normal BlackBerry keys and are standing clear of the device which makes them feel a quality product rather than the flat cheaper kind found on most Curve handsets (9380).

The Menu system is BlackBerrys own 7.1 which works rather well on the 3.7 inch screen, fluid motion and easy access.  The BlackBerry menu key giving extra options for in App menus.  As with all OS 6 and 7 devices the menus slide both left and right and help with full access to the ever increasing app icons and options available. I found the OS easy to use as I had an OS6 device, the use of the touch screen just makes the menu system easier, before you would have had to use the trackpad to move around the screen. The BlackBerry Torch also has a trackpad in the centre of the bottom of the device if you find the touch screen won’t select a certain option on the screen.

Battery life is around normal on my experience with large screen devices, I often charge every night but that’s just me, I will charge at night and then when I’m at home around 7pm. Normally the battery will have around 15-20% left after normal use during the day with 4 email accounts, BBM, Social Feeds, SMS and Wifi/Bluetooth usage.  The 5mp camera with Autofocus seems on par with other BlackBerrys and offers some great pictures in the correct lighting, also with 720p HD video recording.

Overall I will be keeping the device, ok so the on-screen keypad is not the same as my old QWERTY hard keys and on portrait mode it can be tricky. Turned to Landscape it’s a breeze to use and I am sure I can get use to it.

Do you own a Blackberry? 

Do you use BlackBerry messenger and love the BlackBerry way. Would you like a larger screen for Websites/Social feeds/Camera use and all the other benefits?  If so, Give the BlackBerry 9860 a go, it may just surprise you.

Review by Daniel Morris,  IT Support Technician, Onestream/Digital Phone Company.